Cuomo Says Accepting Refugees is the Right Thing to Do

NY Governor Andrew Cuomo

BOSTON – Governor Andrew Cuomo has weighed on the Syrian Refugee controversy, saying he supports accepting them into the country and New York – adding that the moral cost of not doing so would be too high.

Cuomo told the audience at a forum at Harvard University Tuesday that “we have to protect Americans and not lose our soul as America in the process.” He added that the day America says its time to close the gates and build a wall is the day it’s also time to take down the Statue of Liberty.

Thirty governors so far have demanded the federal government not place Syrian refugees in their states. Cuomo accused them of playing politics with the issue, noting that by law they don’t have any say in the matter.

Even Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) raised the possibility of the need for a pause to the refugee intake program, a potential break with President Obama. His counterpart, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, has come out in support of accepting the refugees.

The White House meanwhile, which also has said it will go forward with its plan to accept 10,000 refugees next year, held a conference call late Tuesday with 34 governors in an attempt to quell the backlash.